Cooperation via communication: Influencing vocal alignment in conversation

Alignment of human vocal behavior is a well-documented phenomenon, however, the factors which influence its direction and magnitude are not firmly established. Components of speech which are subject to alignment include—but are not limited to—word choice, syntax, and rate of speech. In the present study, Speakers completed a puzzle task which required them to communicate with a Model whose fundamental frequency (F0) changed during the interaction. Additionally, naive subjects (Listeners) assessed the overall similarity between the Speaker’s speech over time and the Model using an AXB paradigm. Speakers were found to deviate from the Model in F0, however, were perceived by Listeners to mimic the Model in a holistic measure. Speakers were rated as becoming more like the Model when this partner diverged as opposed to converged. A personality factor survey showed that greater Openness predicted less perceived similarity. The discrepancy between divergence in the acoustic measure and convergence in the percept...